Vitakrisaurus

Vitakrisaurus is a genus of noasaurid theropod dinosaurs represented by only one known species, Vitakrisaurus saraiki. It lived in the late Cretaceous period, approximately 70 million years ago, during the Maastrichtian, in what is today the Indian subcontinent. Its fossils were found in Pakistan's Vitraki Formation. The holotype specimen, MSM-303-2 is a right foot with a seemingly tridactyl form and robust phalanges. It may belong to a noasaurid due to similarities with the foot of Velocisaurus, although inconsistencies within its brief description and a lack of comparison with other theropods within the article makes formal classification difficult.

Vitakrisaurus
Temporal range: Maastrichtian, 70 Ma
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Noasauridae
Genus: †Vitakrisaurus
Malkani, 2010
Type species
†Vitakrisaurus saraiki
Malkani, 2010

The generic name references the Vitakri Member of the Pab Formation and combines this with the Greek suffix "saurus", meaning "reptile". The specific name honours the Saraiki people, who primarily live in southern Pakistan.

Sources
  • Malkani, 2010. "Stratigraphy and mineral potential of Sulaiman (Middle Indus) basin, Pakistan". Sindh University Research Journal (Science Series). 42(2), 39–66.
  • Malkani, 2011." Vitakridrinda and Vitakrisaurus of Vitakrisauridae Theropoda from Pakistan". Proceedings of the 6th Symposium of IGCP 507 on Paleoclimates of the Cretaceous in Asia and their global correlation. Beijing, China. 59–66.
  • http://theropoddatabase.com/Ceratosauria.htm#Vitakrisaurussaraiki


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